Fall Break is coming up for USC students Oct. 8 through 11. The four-day weekend could mean various things: a trip out of town or a chance to catch up on sleep. But for some, the “break” will still include studying and completing assignments.
At USC, fall break is a fairly new concept dating back to 2019 after the Undergraduate Student Government advocated for it. The break was intended to give students time away from their regular academic schedule and a chance to reset mentally as they head into the second leg of the semester.
“It really started as a wellness focus,” Dr. Sarah Van Orman, USC Chief Campus Health Officer, told Annenberg Media during a USC Student Health briefing Tuesday. “It was designed to help students have that moment to recharge and reduce burnout.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, burnout is a complex term characterized by various levels of “emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment.” Among students, burnout can affect their well-being and academic performance.
Van Orman encouraged students to use the break to take a step back from academics.
“Really make sure you take that time to unplug, recharge, spend at least a part of that break doing something that you enjoy, relaxing, getting good sleep, going outside in nature,” Van Orman said.
For sophomore neuroscience major Donovan Dooley, the break couldn’t come at a better time.
“I think I need it pretty bad,” Dooley said. “It’ll be good to reset and have some family time.”
Other students are using the weekend to get away from campus. Sophomore political science and business administration major Sean Zemanovic plans to take a three-day trip to San Diego.
“We’re just going to hang out a little bit, explore the town, go to the zoo and go to the beach,” Zemanovic said. “Overall, just hang around and have a good time.”
Despite having the time to get away from campus, Zemanovic doesn’t expect to leave schoolwork behind completely.
“I’ll still have probably a couple of assignments, but I’m much more motivated to do those things, because I know I have a lot of time to do so,” Zemanovic said.
Other students echo this statement, saying most of their break time will be spent “just studying,” said junior communication major Marcel Sezgin.
“I have most of my midterms the following week, so this is kind of a good time for me to just lock in, get some sleep, and focus on the material,” Sezgin said.
In comparison, junior administration major Roman Alba shared that she has a midterm the following Monday, adding, “I’m still going to probably have to study this entire weekend, but, you know, it is what it is.”
Still, Sezgin said that having classes and student organization meetings off his schedule gives him more control over how he spends his time, reiterating that the break “kind of does, in a sense, just act like a reset.”
Edited by JohVonne Roberts